The role of contemporary computers continues to evolve as a tool used for communications and media applications. Personal computers offer many new and exciting media applications for personal entertainment such as live television, personal video recording, playing or recording digital music, displaying or creating digital photographs, playing movies recorded on a DVD, and so forth. Traditionally, sound for these media applications has been controllable by several audio controls made available on a personal computer. For example, sound may be controlled by software for soundcards that allow tuning for volume, treble, bass, and wave balance. Sound may also be controlled on a personal computer by sound synthesis software, by a media player, or by hardware controls such as a volume control on the speakers.
With the introduction of Voice-over-IP (VOIP) and other IP telephony applications, computers may also be used for handling phone calls and voice mail in addition to handling media applications and customary communication applications such as email, instant messaging, fax communications, and so forth. A personal computer with integrated telephony can enhance voice and video communication in ways that empower the user while increasing user productivity and enjoyment. For example, a personal computer may be designed that is capable of accepting incoming calls of various kinds such as analog Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), private branch exchange (PBX), cellular telephony or VoIP. There is the potential for such a personal computer to be connected to telephone equipment for PSTN, cellular telephony or PBX, and provide an enhanced user interface such as for handling voice mail.
What is needed is a unified architecture for audio controls across hardware and software interfaces of the personal computer. Such a system and method should operate in what is perceived to be a consistent, flexible and extensible manner. Additionally, this unified architecture should be capable of handling telephony applications, media applications, and switching between communications modalities.